Deep Dive
by Philip Ellwell
Summary: Jack tried his best to help his mother and make his sister happy. A day off leads to a tragedy, as thin ice ends who he once was.


I remember it well: The day had started off chilly, but warmed slightly as I fed the chickens in the early light, the air brisk enough to need my cloak, but pleasant to be out in.

Mama always yelled at me to wear shoes in the snow to avoid frostbite ("You weren't raised in a barn, Jack, dear..") but I loved the cold.

Even then, I liked the feeling of frost and ice. Call it a dramatic irony.

The day went on as it usually did, but Mama had a surprise for us after I finished milking our half lame old sow, Betsy, and Emma was done...doing whatever Emma did. I did her work for her so she could rest more. Her lungs were never good, and she got out of breath so easily, wheezing and gasping for air. It hurt me to see her hurting that way, so I did all I could to make her comfortable. Mama would've understood, probably, but I never told her.

But, to the surprise: I came in smelling like who knew what with the milk, and Mama was smiling and hiding her hands behind her back. After I'd poured the still warm milk into a bottle carefully, and put it in our tub of lake ice, only then did she show what she was hiding: new skates, silver and brown laces, shiny... expensive. She must have spent all her savings on them. All I'd done the year before was go on and on about wanting to skate, and this year it was a reality. I hugged her, near tears on the gift, as Emma ran about yelling like a monkey.

"Come on Jack! Let's go!" She cried, tugging my hand to drag me out the door.

"I'm coming...wait a second!" I said, unable to avoid laughing at her eagerness.

Mama leaned in the door way, wiping her hands off on a rag, smiling at us, her eyes crinkling at the corners. It was only then I saw touches of grey in her hair, and lack luster dullness to her eyes: she did so much for us, and expected nothing back.

I looked back at her, and tried to smile, but my face fell as a wave of sadness came over me, making me frown.

"Come ON Jack!" Emma insisted, pulling harder. I went with her, and only looked back once more to see my Mama waving at us.

It was the last time I'd ever see her.

Emma raced to the ice at once, hardly even lacing the skates before she was off, doing little dances and circles on the slick surface, eyes closed, totally involved in her own little world.

I sat on the snow besides the pond to lace up my own skates, the day warming around me. Icicles dripped from tree limbs, the sound like soft rain.

The crack echoed across the pond, as Emma froze where she stood, eyes wide.

And that's how we got here: on the ice, in dire trouble, and no one knowing we'd gone.

"Jack..I'm scared." Emma whispered, her eyes wide with fear, tears drying on her cheeks.

"I know, I know.." I soothed, kneeling onto the ice carefully, the crack inching closer, worrying me. "But you're gonna be alright. you're not gonna fall in. We're..uh.." I looked around, searching for something, anything, to help. A staff, curved long at the end and smooth, lay nearby, the perfect thing. "We're gonna have some fun instead."

I looked around, trying to find the closet way to the staff without touching the crack.

"No we're not!" Emma cried, sobbing.

I looked back, grinning. "Would I trick you?"

She was so scared, tears slipped down her cheeks, her lip quivering. "Yes! You _always _play tricks!"

"Well.." I said with a sly look. "All right." I looked at her seriously, trying to clam her. Fear was the enemy here. "But not this time. I promise. I promise you're gonna be.." The crack widened beneath the skates' silvery blade. "you're gonna be fine." I looked her in the eye, smiling softly. "You have to believe in me."

Emma swallowed, and nodded, smiling back.

I grinned, stepping wide. "You wanna play a game? We're gonna play hopscotch! Like we play everyday." I took a gentle leap to the pond's outer ice, the ice worrying into a crack under my toes.

"It's as easy as onneee.." I stumbled, but remained upright, still smiling. I mimed as if it was on purpose, even as my mind raced. "Twooooooo..." Another wide step, another crack. "Three!" I declared, at the safe, thick edge.

I turned back, and held my arms out to her, as if in a hug. "All right. now it's your turn." I leaned down and nabbed the staff, reaching it out to her. "Onnneee.."

Emma hopped carefully, the ice cracking under her weight.

"That's it, that's it.." I whispered, edging the staff within grabbing range. "Twooo..."

She was close, close enough to grab, to get to safety.

"Three!"

She grabbed the end, and i slung her around, swirling in a circle as she skidded across the ice, landing hard, but safely, grinning at me, her recently lost tooth making a gap in her smile.

I remember the next part all to well.

I grinned back, but the ice had cracked too much: I lost my balance and slammed back, hitting it and breaking through.

My first panicked thought was to make sure Emma was okay, and I struggled to look upwards, seeing her cry out from the edge, safe, alive...

"Jack!" She cried, the sound softened by the black water around me.

She was safe...

I closed my eyes for a second, having trouble breathing.

The moon shone through the ice, large and full..odd for the middle of the day...

I closed my eyes, and took a deep breath of cold water.

I did not open them for a long while.

When I did, it was cold, and dark, and I was scared.

But, then I saw the moon... and it was so big and so bright. It seemed to chase the darkness away.

And after that, i wasn't so scared anymore.

I felt like I was drifting, the water parting around me as the ice drew closer, breaking as I surfaced, gasping at the chilly air. The moon was full, fuller than I'd ever seen in my whole life, and I smiled at it, even as it seemed to smile back at me with a strange light.

I was lowered to the ice, and fell to my knees, light headed.

_Power is in you, Jack Frost. All you need to do is unlock it. _

"T.." I tried to speak, but the words were hard to make work. I didn't really know what to say anyway: everything was new and strange. something hit my foot as I stood: a staff.

I picked it up, and it started glowing...

_Is this what you want, Jack?_

I nodded to the voice. "Y..yes."

_So be it._

It glowed brightly, and I dropped it, the end hitting the ice hard, a blue spark catching like fire and racing along the slick surface.

It was frost.

_Jack Frost_ The voice said, before falling silent.

Yes...Jack Frost. I smiled.

I liked that name.


End file.
